Women's Champions League preview: Bayern München vs Benfica

Bayern, whose UEFA Women's Champions League quarter-final spot was confirmed on Matchday 5, go in search of the victory that could enable them to top Group D against a Benfica side that held them to a goalless draw back in October.

• The Eagles' own top-two aspirations were ended against a rampant Lyon last time out, but they will aim to become the first away team to take points from a visit to Bayern in this group stage.

• The German champions could not find a breakthrough against last-16 newcomers Benfica on Matchday 1, denied by a combination of a fine goalkeeping display from the Eagles' Letícia and the woodwork, the lively Lea Schüller hitting the crossbar in the 85th minute.

• The Frauen-Bundesliga team will win the group if they beat Benfica and Lyon lose. If Bayern win and Lyon draw, they will be split for first place on overall goal difference.

Ones to watch: Bayern

Jovana Damnjanović
• The 27-year-old scored twice on her first group start in the 5-1 triumph against Häcken on 9 December to earn the Player of the Match award.

• The forward is Bayern's top scorer in this competition so far this term with three goals, also hitting the net in the 4-0 home success against Häcken on 14 October.

• Damnjanović was an unused substitute in Wolfsburg's 4-3 2014 UEFA Women's Champions League victory against Tyresö in Lisbon.

• The Serbian international is in her fifth season with Bayern, having joined from SC Sand in the summer of 2017.

Linda Dallman
• The 27-year-old made it five goals in her last seven European starts with a clever finish in the 5-1 Matchday 5 success in Gothenburg.

• Both Dallman's group goals came against Häcken, with only Damnjanović scoring more for Bayern in Group D.

• The midfielder struck three times in last season's UEFA Women's Champions League knockout stages to help Bayern reach the semi-finals, only Sydney Lohmann scoring more for the club in the competition in 2020/21.

• The German international is in her third season with Bayern having spent eight campaigns with Essen where she made over 150 league appearances and was a DFB Pokal finalist in 2014.

Lea Schüller
• The 24-year-old was an unused substitute against Häcken on Matchday 5 having scored twice in the opening 29 minutes of the 7-1 success versus Bayer Leverkusen five days earlier.

• Schüller has scored twice in her last six European appearances having hit three goals in her previous four.

• The forward was the Bavarians' leading scorer in last season's Frauen-Bundesliga, her 16 goals including three in a 7-0 defeat of Werder Bremen in February.

• The Germany international scored four goals across their two recent FIFA Women's World Cup qualifiers, including a hat-trick in the 8-0 success against Turkey on 26 November.

Ones to watch: Benfica

Catarina Amado
• The 22-year-old has featured in all nine of Benfica's UEFA Women's Champions League matches so far this term, qualifiers included, starting eight.

• The defender's added-time winner against Häcken on Matchday 4 sealed the Eagles' first three points of Group D.

• Amado also scored inside the opening two minutes of the 7-0 preliminary round 1 victory against Racing Union on 21 August.

• The Portuguese international is in her third season with As Águias, having joined from Estoril in the summer of 2019.

Cloé Lacasse
• The 28-year-old has had ten attempts in the first five group games, including four on target.

• The forward scored the Eagles' first Group D goal three minutes into their 2-1 Matchday 4 success at Häcken.

• Lacasse's hat-trick against Dutch champions Twente ensured the Eagles would be the first Portuguese representatives to make the last 16 of this competition for the first time in any guise.

• She made her international debut as a substitute in Canada's 2-1 friendly defeat against Mexico on 27 November, coming off the bench again against the same opponents three days later.

Letícia
• The 27-year-old was integral to her side's only clean sheet in this inaugural group stage, thwarting Bayern with seven saves in the goalless draw on 5 October.

• The goalkeeper has made 27 stops in the group stage, fewer than only three players.

• Letícia conceded just four goals in her 12 league appearances last term to help Benfica clinch their first Campeonato Nacional Feminino title.

• The Brazilian international joined As Águias in January 2021 from Corinthians, with whom she won two Copa Libertadores Femenina titles, including two spot-kick saves in the penalty shoot-out victory against Colo-Colo in the 2017 edition.

Key stats

• Bayern have won each of their last seven UEFA Women's Champions League home games (F18 A1) and 14 of their last 16 European matches in Munich.

• The Bavarian outfit have lost only two of their last 13 UEFA Women's Champions League matches (W10 D1).

• Bayern have only failed to score in one of their last 16 European outings and have kept six clean sheets in their last seven.

• Benfica have won their last four away matches in all competitions.